A jam packed day #alaac17

All of Monday morning was taken up with a very productive Sibert committee meeting. After the meeting most of us piled into taxis and headed over to the Palmer House for a lunchtime presentation on the creation of art in picture books, hosted by Simon & Schuster.

Peter Brown, Jessie Sima, Marla Frazee, and Brendan Wenzel were four of the six artists who explained the process they went through to create the art for these books.

  

 

 

After the luncheon, I went to meet my sister in the exhibit hall , where she had saved a place in line for us for the 2 p.m. book signing by Anna-Marie McLemore. I got an arc of Wild Beauty, which will be out later this year.

While in line, I noticed Little, Brown was nearby so I had my sister hold my place while I popped over to ask for, and receive, an arc of Jade City by Fonda Lee.

 

 

 

 

From there we attended Booklist’s  on 50 years of YA, which featured  a panel of YA authors including Daniel Jose Older, Nicola Yoon, Kristin Cashore, Neal Shusterman, and Megan Whalen Turner.

We returned to our hotel after the presentation to rest, then get dressed for the Caldecott Newbery Wilder dinner. Although the speeches were excellent, the best moment of the evening occurred as Ashley Bryan was being escorted off the stage after receiving his Caldecott Honor Award. He turned to the audience and recited, in call and response style, Langton Hughes’ Motto:

I play it cool
I dig all jive
That’s the reason
I stay alive
My motto
As I live and learn
Is dig and be dug in return

Monday will be our day to pack in as much of Chicago as we can…and get some Chicago style deep dish pizza!

On my way to Chicago #alaac17

It’s been a whirlwind of a week. I said goodbye to my students, checked out with my principal, and flew out the school parking lot so I could get home in a timely manner. I needed to feed Lucy before dropping her off at Sniff Dog Hotel.

When I got home I packed my bag. I like to do it after Lucy is settled at Sniff, because seeing the suitcase makes her nervous.

I was up earlier than I needed to be this morning and plan on getting to the airport earlier than necessary. It is just my nature. It is a four-hour flight to Chicago and I have a good book to read.

And that is how I spent my first day of summer vacation. Tomorrow I’ll start posting about the conference itself.